The Chemistry of Coffee
by vampireacademygirls
Summary: Katara and Zuko are lab partners but Katara can't get Zuko to say more than a few words to her. So she decides to bring him different types of coffee each week in order to soften him up and learn more about him. Zutara Week 2016 entry. Prompt- coffee


**Disclaimer- I do not own the character nor the show. I do not own any coffee company mentioned in this story.**

* * *

Week 1 Introduction to Chemistry 012

Katara lives on coffee. As a third year pre-med student, it's basically a requirement. She held her warm cup to her body as she walked into her 9:45am chemistry lab class. She took a quick scan of the room. Chemistry was not her strong suit so she wanted to sit next to someone smart but not uptight. She spotted a raven haired boy in the second row with his notebook and pencil out already. He was paying attention to his cell phone though. 'Perfect.' She thought as her moved to the sit next to him.

Katara introduced herself as she set her coffee down and got her things out. He looked at her and said nothing.

Zuko made sure that he got to his 9:45 early. He was a junior transfer student and he wanted to make a good impression. He had just put his things down and pulled out his cell phone when he heard someone say hello. He turned towards the voice and froze. The girl was so beautiful he couldn't speak. Her eyes were the bluest he'd ever seen. Her dark hair was down and she wore a blue sundress that matched her eyes. Zuko followed her movements as she sat down next to him and pulled out her notebook and cell phone. She glanced over at him and smiled with her eyebrows raised. Shit, she was still waiting for him to speak like a normal person.

"Uh Hi I'm Zuko."

"Hello Zuko. I'm Katara."

"Um so you like coffee?" He asked not knowing that else to say.

"As much as every other college student. Do you?"

He nodded, not wanting to say something else lame.

"Good, I'll bring you a cup next week. Don't tell me what you like. It'll be my experiment." Katara send with a wink.

She was going to have a lot of fun this semester figuring out her lab partner. You can tell plenty about a person by how they like their caffeine.

* * *

Week 2- Lab Safety

Katara walked into class with a coffee in each hand. She was going to get her stupid lab partner to like her even if it killed her. Bringing him coffee would hopefully mollify him and get him talking to her. After that first conversation before lab started, he hadn't spoken a word to her. She tried talking to him again once class was over but he mumbled something about being busy as he sped out of the room. Since Katara didn't know what he liked, she brought him a cup the way she liked it. Warm coffee with milk only, no sugar. He glanced up as she entered, giving her a half smile before he looked down again.

"Here," She said placing the coffee in front of him. "I made a fresh pot this morning. Milk and no sugar. That's how I like it so that seemed like a good starting point."

Zuko nodded and took a tentative sip. His nose crinkled but he sighed contently.

"This-"

"Shhh! Don't tell me what you think. By the end of this semester I'm going to know exactly what you like just by your reactions."

Zuko just stared. Katara was beginning to think that that was his default reaction to everything.

* * *

Week 3- Elements and Periodic Table

Katara thought about what to bring her tight-lipped lab partner all week. He crinkled his nose when he tasted the strong coffee last week so she finally decided on the complete opposite this week; a Caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks. Maybe he had a sweet tooth. Personally she only had the super sweet Frappuccino once in a blue moon.

For the first time, Katara was sitting at their table before him. She waved at him when he entered the classroom. When Katara gave him the cold drink, their fingertips touched and Zuko swore he felt a spark. He took a long sip while staring into her eyes. Her eyes went from his eyes to his lips around the green straw and stayed there. She swallowed hard.

"Zuko, I'm beginning to believe that you're a tease."

He took another long sip in response.

* * *

Week 4- Matter and Energy

Katara was not happy with Zuko's reactions the past two weeks so she decided to go a completely different route this time. She brought him a green tea. This time Zuko stared at her as she walked over to their table and placed the drink in front of him. He took one sip and tossed it into the garbage. Her jaw dropped.

"I can't stand any kind of tea. Coffee is so much better."

Katara made a mental note never to bring him tea again.

* * *

Week 5- Review Session

Katara walked over to their desk and placed a cup of joe in front of Zuko.

"We're going to do an experiment."

Zuko looked up from his notebook. "It's chemistry lab. We always do experiments."

The girl huffed. "I mean with the coffee. Well besides me trying to guess what you like. People are always comparing Dunkin Donutes coffee with WaWa coffee. So today I brought us Dunkin with milk and one sugar. Next week I'll bring Wawa coffee with milk and one sugar."

"Alright. But that does not make sense. Of course some people are going to like one brand over another. Humans are biased creatures."

"And you're a pain in the ass."

* * *

Week 6- First Exam

Katara passed Zuko his WaWa coffee and a thick stack of flashcards. He took a sip and passed Katara his own set of flashbacks. Both of the nerds shared a wide smile and started to quiz each other.

* * *

Week 7- Molecules

This week's caffeine product was hot and sweet. But not as sweet as the Frap, Katara brought him a few weeks ago. He seemed to have enjoyed that one but afterward he also finished his entire water bottle. Now she had an extra hot mocha latte without whip cream for Zuko.

Katara placed the hot cup in front of Zuko and opened her mouth to warm him of its hot temperature. But she was too late. Zuko already took a sip and his eyes widened as he registered the pain in his mouth.

"Ah. Wow. That was hot. I burned my tongue."

"I was going to warn you! I'm sorry."

"You know, Katara, just because I'm from a hot place doesn't mean I can swallow fire."

"Sarcasm is most of your personality isn't it?"

* * *

Week 8- Atoms

Maybe Zuko appreciated the basics like her. This week she was going to bring him a flat white, not something you can easily mess up. The coffee was fine but Zuko was not. He stumbled into class five minutes late looking disheveled. Katara had raised an eyebrow at him but he just shook his head. Zuko grabbed the hot drink and it was gone within a few minutes. Katara was the one staring this week.

"It was my cousin's Lu Ten's twenty-first birthday yesterday."

* * *

Week 9- Compounds

Even though the weather was getting chiller, Katara wanted to see Zuko's reaction to iced coffee. He mentioned he was from Caldera City which was a much warmer place than her little hometown so she supposed the cold drink would be a reminder of home. What better way to cool off after a hot day in the city than a cool drink?

When she placed the drink in front of Zuko, he just looked sad. He didn't touch it until when it was time to move all drinks to the front table so they wouldn't interfere with the day's experiments.

"Zuko are you okay?"

He gave her a small smile, "Yeah. Iced Coffee was my Mom's favorite drink. She loved any cold drink really but iced coffee was her favorite."

"Was?" She pushed.

"Yeah, she died when I was younger."

"Mine too."

Zuko squeezed her hand. "Thank you for reminding me of her."

* * *

Week 10- Review

Zuko kept staring at the clock. Katara was late, like really late. She always came at least ten minutes early to lab but now class had been going on for twenty minutes. It was only a review class but she had come to the first one so he thought she would show up today.

'I could always text her' he thought. They had traded numbers after he threw out the cup of tea she brought him. Katara said it was the necessary payment for tossing the drink. He was not about to deny the chance to get her number. He spent another ten minutes thinking of what to say before he pulled out his phone. To his surprise she had texted him.

 **Sick af. Sorry -K**

 **I'll bring you the review notes- Z**

 **Where's your dorm? -Z**

 **I'll bring you soup. What do you want? -Z**

 **Or do you want coffee? -Z**

 **OMG yes! I don't wanna move. Sea prune soup only Please -K**

 **100A Western Temple-K**

After class, Zuko ran out of the room and to the dining hall. Sea Prune soup. Yuck. Zuko preferred fire flake stew himself when he was sick. He grabbed a large soup for Katara and a corn muffin for himself, before he walking over to the west side of campus. Suddenly he was standing in front of room 100, hand hesitating right above the wood. He made it all the way here, he couldn't just leave now. Knocked twice and waited.

A brunette answered the door. They stared at each other and the girl her eyebrows as if to say 'who are you and what do you want?'

"Uhh hi. I'm Zuko. I'm Katara's chemistry partner."

"Oh her chemistry partner? So you guys experiment together?" She asked with a wide smile.

"Wait what? It's not like that at all! I mean we're lab partners and she brings me coffee every week."

"Suki, leave him alone. He actually brought me food unlike you." Called a voice behind Suki. A voice that could have been Katara's if she smoked two packs a day.

"Hi Zuko." She sniffed, voice hoarse. "You can come in. This is Suki my suite mate. My other suite mate Shiori has class now."

He passed through the doorway sideways, Suki barely gave him any space. Her eyes followed them as they went inside Katara's bedroom. Zuko felt himself blushing.

"Don't suck face with each other. You wouldn't want to get Pretty Boy sick!"

Katara froze. She turned and paused at her door. "Don't worry! We won't be like you and Sokka, awaking up the entire floor in the middle of the night." And with that she shut her door.

Zuko laughed. "You know, that would have been better if you didn't sound like a boar-q-pine."

Katara flicked his forehead and grabbed the brown bag with her soup inside.

* * *

Week 11- Second Exam

 **Wanna meet at CCs' before class? -K**

 **CC? -Z**

 **Sorry, forgot your new. Crystal Cavern- K**

 **Yeah. See you soon. -Z**

Katara and Zuko got themselves a little table at the popular student hang out. Once again, both had their own dense stack of flashcards. They went back and forth quizzing each other until they walked to class, hands clasped together.

* * *

Week 12- Chemical Bonding

 **I got the coffee today. -Z**

Katara's coffee was waiting for her as she sat down next to Zuko.

"This is my favorite. Guess what it is."

She took a long sip maintaining eye contact with him the whole time.

"Ahh. Hazelnut. With half and half. No sugar."

His eyes bulged. "Yeah! How'd you know that?"

Katara smirked. "I'm a coffee drinking pro."

She threw her head back in laughter at his expression of disbelief "It's written on the side of your cup. You silly turtleduck."

Zuko pulled her in for a kiss. "I lied," he started, his forehead touching hers. "This is my favorite way to have coffee."

"You sap."

* * *

Week 13- Chemical Reactions

Katara did not want to wake up today; she barely slept last night. Luckily her alarm was snoozed and she sighed contently into her pillow.

"Do you want me to make the coffee today?" her pillow asked.

"Shh. Good pillows don't speak."

Zuko kissed the top of her head. "Whatever my coffee supplier demands, I will provide."

"I demand more sleep then."

"No can do Princess. We have chemistry soon."

"We had chemistry last night. And early this morning I think." Katara propped her head on his chest, looking into his eyes.

He laughed and his whole face lit up with a bit of a blush. "So did you complete your experiment of figuring out what kind of coffee I like from my reactions alone?"

She sat up and slowly got out of her bed. Zuko's eyes following every movement of her lithe body as she walked to her dresser and grabbed a large t-shirt to put on.

"Well, I came to two conclusions. If you have hazelnut or another flavored coffee, preferably warm, you don't have it with sugar. Only milk or half-n-half. You also like plain warm strong coffee. With plenty of milk or half-n-half with at least two packets of sugar. How'd I do?" Blue eyes bored into amber.

"Perfect. Now go make me a cup."

Next thing Zuko knew, his pants were in his face.

* * *

The main liberty I took was that drinks were allowed in the lab. It really bothers me but for the sake of the story and the prompt, I had to bend the rules. I'm not sure if it bothers anyone else but I'm a slave to the details and accuracy of a story.

WaWa is a huge thing where I'm from and people have strong sides on the WaWa vs Dunkin vs Starbucks debate.


End file.
